The Irish standard., 1887-01-01
REV. FATHER M'GOLRICK
Delivers one of His Excellent Christmas
Sermons on the Anniversary Of the
Birth Of Our SAVIOUR.
WHAT THE HOLY FEAST SIGNIFIES

And the Reason Why the Catholic Church
Has Unusual Services on
Christmas Day.
The Church Of the Immaculate Con
ception was filled to hear Rev. Father
McGolrick's Christmas sermon. La this
issue we give brief synopsis of the
discourse. regretting that we are un-
able to give it verbatim. He took his
text from Epistle to Titus H., Ills, and
Luke H., 1-l4.
THE SERMON.
The feast of our Divine Lord, which
we celebrate to-day, has more than Or
binary significance. 1t proves the es-
tablishment in the hearts of the chill
dren of the Church the reign of Jesus
Christ. Everywhere Christian hearts
are warm in the expression of their
love for Him who came from the
heights Of heaven down to this earth of
ours, in order that He might become
one with US. He who was infinitely
good came down to those who had wan
dered away from Him in order that He
might gather them together; that He
might preach to them the law of love,
whereby the hearts of all peoples should
be drawn towards Him; whereby all
His creatures would be raised up glorl-
fed with Him both in soul and body.
And it is for this reason that the
Church has unusual ceremonies on this
Holy Feast of Christmas. She clothes
her affairs; gathers into her sanctuary
her priesthood; speaks to her people
the lesson OF Gods love; calls upon
them to unite with her in the express
sion of their Joy and happiness in the
commemoration of the day which the
Lord has made a day OF good tidings to
all poor sinners; a day in which, more
than any other day, God comes before
us represented in our fallen humanity
as little child. And we are asked to
unite with the Church in offering to Him
our highest acts of praise. ;. With no
small need of glory on our lips, we preach
the word that had been SEN from heaven
on high; we announce to man, as the
angels of old: "Glory to Goo in the
highest, and on earth peace to men Of
good will" This is the lesson that the
Church would have lis take to heart:
and III order, my brethren, that you
may more fully realize these good tld-
1ngs it will be well for us to recall the
first words of the gospel OF the Mass
read early this morning, III which it
was said that all the peoples Of the
world were ordered by the Emperor Of
Rome, Caesar Augustus, to 60 up each
to his own city, and there to be en-
rolled. This brings to our considera-
tion the most important truth: How
it is that the human race had become
united under one vast power; what the
nature of this power was against which
Christ, poor babe, born upon this
night in December, came to battle.
This power which He came to Destroy
totally efface-Was the power OF the
highest reason OF man. God had given
message to all fallen people when He
declared to them that Redeemer
should come, and that the serpent's
head should be crushed. He announced
to them that in time to come all should
be redeemed-should be brought back
to the love and service OF God. He
bade them not to fear, but with hope to
act in obedience to His command
ments. But soon the commands of God
were forgotten in the minds of men;
and we find in the 750th year of the es-
tablishment of the City of Rome, that
all the nations of the earth had become
subservient TO Roman power. The
great endeavor Of Augustus was to
gather all the peoples to unite them
under one. The representatives Of the
Roman power were to be scattered in
every part Of the world, but all were to
announce their fealty to this power in
Rome; and, my brethren, we can we'll
understand what this power meant if
we consider briefly what the historians
give us to understand in reference to it,
A hundred millions of people were sub
servient to the bidding of their master
in that city. The armies had gone
forth to the ends Of the earth, and the
Roman eagle had been seen in every
land, civilized or unclvilized, in the
world. There power was such that all
the nations were willing to join with
them for their own protection and for
the advantages of the high civilization
to which they had attained. But with
this there was the purpose OF establish
ing one form of religion; that is, idola-
try was to reign supreme over all the.
nations, and while Rome took all Of
them into partnership, yet she deter
mined that all should have central
place in the city to which they should
look, to wl1ich they should bow down,
to which the heart and soul -t the whole